Bios

Charlene Barshefsky, Former US Trade Representative

Industry: Government

Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky served as the US Trade Representative (USTR)—the chief trade negotiator and principal trade policymaker for the United States—from 1997 to 2001, and acting and deputy USTR from 1993 to 1996. As the USTR and a member of the President's Cabinet, she was responsible for the negotiation of hundreds of complex market access, regulatory and investment agreements with virtually every major country in the world.

Barshefsky is best known internationally as the architect and chief negotiator of China's historic WTO Agreement. She is recognized as a central figure for international business and international economic and trade issues. Barshefsky sits on the board of the Council on Foreign Relations and has also served as a director at a number of well-known multinational firms, including American Express, Estee Lauder, Intel, and Starwood Hotels. She has written and lectured extensively both in the US and abroad.